Margaret Court Arena Redevelopment

Melbourne and Olympic Parks
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Client: Victorian Government
Completion date: 2015

Following the successful completion of the new Melbourne and Olympic Parks Masterplan, Populous
has been commissioned by the Victorian Government, with joint venture architects NH Architecture,
to design the latest phase of the precinct redevelopment.

The new $150M multi-purpose Margaret Court Arena will include 7500 seats, an innovative operable
roof, and concourse connectivity to the adjacent Rod Laver Arena. The construction period will take
3 years to complete and will include staged handovers for each interim Australian Open until 2015.

Margaret Court Arena is targeting to be the first LEED accredited sports and entertainment arena
in Australia with a brief requirement to attain LEED Gold. In a continent where water consumption
is of utmost importance, the project has adopted sustainable strategies to reduce potable water
consumption. Recently completed enabling works to the precinct have further provided the
infrastructure for rainwater harvesting and treatment facilities which include a 4.5mL stormwater
retention tank that will process rainwater from the new proposed roof over Margaret Court
Arena. Other sustainable strategies include a reduction in consumption of fossil-fuel based energy,
the reduction in potable water use as well as the incorporation of locally sourced construction
materials.

Ralph Wheeler, Project Architect on the arena said “The renovated facility aims to set a new
standard in sustainability for sports venues throughout Australia”.